Skirt-supporter



UNITED sTATns PATENT orrion.

SARAH A. BALDWIN, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

SKIRT-SUPPORTER.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 32,506, dated June 11, 1861.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, SARAH A. BALDWIN, of VaterbUry, in the county of New "Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Skirt-Supporter; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specilication, in wl1ich Y Figure l, is a view of my improved skirt supporter spread out, showing the several parts arranged and combined for lacing around the body. Fig. 2, is an enlarged perspective view of one of the spring fastening' pins used in Fig. l. Fig. 3, shows one of the metallic clasps which are used to connect the frame of the supporter together. Fig. 4t, is a transverse section through one of the coveredstrips of steel which form the frame of the supporter.`

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

The object of this invention is to form a supporter for ladies or childrens skirts, or for little boys pants, and to so construct the supporter that it will be light and comfortable to the body of the person wearing it.

The nature of my invention consists in forming the supporter of strips of covered steel, whalebone or reed, put together with clasps so as to form a waistsband which will encompass the body, and in combining with this band, shoulder straps and back-stays, and a means for lacing the band around the body, and also spring pins for attaching the skirts to the band, all as will be hereinafter fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I will proceed to describe its construction .and operation.

In the accompanying drawings A, A, A, A, represent steel, whalebone, or reed strips suitably covered and cut in length to-pass around the body.

B, B, B, B, B', represent short strips of whalebone steel or reed which are connected, at regular distances apart to the four horizontal strips A. The length of the. perpendicular strips B', B, B, B, determine the width of the band, and these perpendicular strips are all of an equal length. The two upper strips A, A, are connected to the perpendicular strips by means of metal clasps a, 0;, a, a, a, which are formed as represented in Fig. 3, of the drawings; and the two lower strips A, A, are connected to each of the perpendicular strips by means of clasps which areconstructed as shown in Fig. 2,

ofthe drawings, and consist of a plate ZJ, lips c, c, c, 0, which are punched up so as to clasp the strips A, A, and lips cl, CZ, formed by turning over the ends of plate Z2. To each of these clasps a pin e is soldered at its lower end to the lip cl. rIhis pin e, is of such a length that its pointed end may be passed under the lip CZ, as shown in Figs. l and 2. The band which is thus formed is furnished with shoulder straps D, D,which are made of any suitable fabric cut so as to t comfortably over the shoulders. These shoulder straps are shown in Fig. l of the drawings, and they are connected to the top strip A by lacing g, g, which will-admit of the straps D, D, being lengthened or shortl ened at pleasure.

Provision is made in cutting the straps D, D, for attaching undersleeves, shown 1n red lines'Fig. l, to them and these sleevesv are attached to the straps by means of the spring pins 7c, 7c, such as I have described, and shown in Fig. 2, of the drawings, as these pins will admit of the sleeves being removed and others substituted in their stead, and as the pointed ends of the pins c, are protected by the lips d, they will not be liable to injure the person wearing them. The shoulder straps D, D, are connected together by means of elastic stay straps E, E.

Pieces of tape h., 7L, are suitably attached to the perpendicular end strips B", B, of the band, and to these pieces z., It, large eyelet hooks z', vl, z', are secured as shown in Fig. l, of the drawings, which hoolsare used to receive the tape j, in lacing the band around the body. The common eyelets would answer to receive the lacing tape, but with the hooks the ends of the band can be attached and detached with greater facility.

The supporter when thus formed can be covered and trimmed in a handsome manner, and all the metal clasps can be covered and prevented from injuring the clothing.

The supporter can be made very large or very small according to the size of the person it is intended to fit, and the strips composing the supporter should 'be made flexible and yielding t-o the movements of the body, so as to be comfortable and easy. The skirts are attached to the lower edge of the supporter by means of the pins e, e, e, on plates b, either before or after the supporter is laced to the body, then When the skirts areY thus applied to the supporter, their Weight will be removed from the ,hips and sustained by the band, and the shoulder straps ,Ha-ving thus desrcribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to Secure by Let- B, Aarranged and secured together and furnishedwith shoulder straps D, D, lacing hooks z', z', lz', and spring pins for attaching the skirt to the supporter, all as herein described and represented.

SARAH A. BALDVIN.

Witnesses:

GIDEON L. PLATT, JOHN W. PAUL. 

